A Florida school was put on lockdown after a hungry mother bear and her three cubs wandered onto campus.

Students were made to stay inside after the furry family was spotted near portable classrooms at about 8am local time (1pm in the UK) on Thursday.

Officials said the bears foraged for food in the grounds of River Springs Middle School, Orange City, for nearly two hours.

Volusia County police officers and staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were called to the campus after the bears were sighted.

The police force wrote on Facebook: "Fortunately, the bear family moved on shortly after 10am after foraging for food around the campus for about two hours, according to the FWC officer who arrived on scene."

The statement added: "Thankfully, the bears' presence did not cause any serious problems and due to their healthy fear of humans, they moved on without harm to anyone on campus or themselves."

Image:Students were made to stay in their classrooms as the hungry bears foraged for food

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the animals were black bears.

Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's latest figures suggested more than 4,000 of the animals were living in the state in 2014-15.

Dave Telesco, who directs the commission's bear management programme, said: "Bears are starting to come out of their winter dens and they're searching for food.